The Day Rue "Became" Black 

oh wow i hadnt even noticed this video was that old

I've watched a ton of Onion videos and read Onion articles, and I flinched when I saw the tweet calling out a young actress by name followed by a sexual insult. Despite knowing (and supporting) the Onion's brand of parody and humor, I had to double take to confirm that it was really them who did that. I'm glad to hear that they deleted and apologized for what they did, but I can't imagine being a preteen and knowing my public ridicule and insult is actually funny to some people.

oh well

the satire doesnt make it ok, even if its a joke you should not be calling a CHILD a c-word

like, you didn't. they shouldn't have used that word to describe a real living child. It was satire, but it was bad satire. Period. I cannot believe people are-- no, I can, but I'm deeply annoyed by it. :/

Well... She's biracial

@@dokessezeaka5159 Well yeah, she is that too. She is still black, even if it's only half way, I just mean that people ask ridiculous questions and don't read the character descriptions.

@@dokessezeaka5159 biracial people who have a black parent/grand parent are still black (edit) I'm realizing now I made this comment without any explanation. Yes black and white biracial people are biracial, there's no denying that. But a mixed person who passes as black has little to no white features excluding maybe a lighter skin tone. They are still biracial, but these people who were harassing amandala and other young girls like her didn't stop and say "well at least she has some white in her," because they didn't see any white. They saw another black girl and they wanted to tear her down.

@@lya1592 no they're not, why do black people fight so hard for biracial people to be considered black? White people don't do the same. And before somone says "well white people will still see her as black", because WE can define who is black... Not white people. Let biracials be called biracials, why try to erase the other part of their identity?

@@dokessezeaka5159 because as a biracial, I don't give af about my other side 💀💀💀

No just the actress. Imagine what it feels like to be black and hearing that. People have become more and more comfortable vocalizing their racial micro aggressions. Its truly a sad world we live in, especially for those of us that are black just because of our skin tone.

@@JasmineJ_ I can confirm, as a darkskin black female, made me sick. Does literally anything stated in this video surprise me at this point? No. I’m 16, and at 11 I had people asking me to see my baby when I was holding a bundle of gym clothes on my walk from school. It’s a part of life, same with the casting decisions. I cherish darkskin female actors every time I see them for this, but sadly they are mostly only seen in movies talking about slavery, oppression, or are solely focused on race. We aren’t allowed to be normal, or kids.

@@betsycheddar I myself am a dark skinned woman. I completely understand where you are coming from. I have had similar experiences and continue to go through it into my 20s. Unfortunately colorism doesn't go away, even within your own race but I choose not to let it define me. I am proud to see that more movies and shows are being made with color blind casting or showing dark skinned actors/actresses in leading roles and roles that are beyond them being oppressed and I hope to continue to see people that look like us thrive in Hollywood. Growing up in the 90s, I didnt see many people outside of oppression movies where actors looked like me and Im glad that is now changing despite non black people still fighting against it.

@@JasmineJ_ bcus of the delusions of "freedom of speech"

@@JasmineJ_ It's no longer micro, THOSE ARE MACRO AGGRESSIONS

White's in real life are racist, katniss is not.

EXACTLYYYYY. No matter what these kids look like skin color, hair, WHATEVER, they’re all still scared children regardless.

This is a really great point! I also think Rue's and Prim's actresses do resemble one another quite a bit. They both have a softness and delicateness to their features which perfectly aligns with their descriptions in the novel.

Also this franchise is feminist without being on the nose about it like in recent Disney films

100%.

After the BLM riots. I'm not surprised 🤷‍♀️

White people being racist what’s new

When I watched the movies, I wanted to punch Marvel for what happened to Rue.

When I watched the movie I wasn’t that sad for Rues death. I couldn’t see why I was supposed to care about Rues death over Marvels. Both were kids who were pawns sent to die in the games. Also we had like three scenes with Rue so how did anyone actually care about her character?

@@freddiemedley5580 i think it's fine not to be sad over movie deaths, i'm exclusively talking about people who were sad over her death in the book, before they noticed her race, and became indifferent because she was black.

All of the comments in that section are just as bad really, even some of the "tamer" ones. People who would insist they arent racist because they know its bad yet go on to say the stuff they did

that one was pure dehumanisation

Pretty wild

Right just need to banned permanently

Some guy on youtube just said the same thing about sarah a character in the last of us

...and be applauded for it nonetheless. They get so many reassuring comments from others who are equally as unable to comprehend what they're reading. It's how most internet arguments start. One person isn't able to comprehend what they just read, gets outraged and won't back down, even if proven wrong.

I remember that music artist from your pfp, can you remind me what her name is?

I’ve made the mistake the other way around. I honestly thought Christian Grey was a black man for like half the book. I needed to reread the first part of the book again to see I mistook his description with that of his trainer.

@@flyingpig5622 I think Mariya Takeuchi

@@greengibblets78 right on

Not to mention the high cheekbones. I remember that vividly and was so sure that Katniss was indigenous in some way. Olive skin, straight dark hair, high cheek bones. I saw Katniss of having indigenous descent from that description.

I thought this too!

Some think he was Covey... :)

Doubtful. I don't there would be any left by then considering there is so few now. Katniss's probable maternal grandmother was Maude Ivory, who was white with blonde hair.

​@@margaretconnor5623I think Collins wanted to be ambiguous. Lots of people from different backgrounds have olive skin. I think she wanted it to be left to the imagination.

FR. do y'all have any meaningful connections???

It’s a reflection of themselves, if they can’t relate to her, why would katniss they expose themselves everytime just pay attention

There was an mom influencer that was like “its hard for children to relate to those not their color” and had the velvetat Rabbit on their bookself. It’s scary some people can relate to animals but not to someone of a different race.

The first thing I tought about them was shallowness at finest.

Isn't this the same narrative that people use to race swap characters? That you can only relate to people that "looks like you"?

So vile and disgusting

Happens in real life everyday, so no surprise there unfortunately.

extremely so

Oh YeA NoBoDy CrIeS WhEn LiTtLE bLaCk GiRlS GeT BrUTaLlY kILlED.... Seriously though, how messed up is humanity

A lot of those “people” say that to get a rise out of people and attention because their parents never gave it to them.

lmao they definitely were sensitive... There they were getting super upset over a black girl actress

@@dirtyjamsgot1795 sensitive in the racist kinda way 🥰

@@mikaeruu0309 ✨Spicy✨ sensitivity

Ikr hahaha

nah they were even more sensitive if the only acceptable people that they dont have a temper tantrum over is a white straight person

Same

literally, people are frickin blind

Actually, I think you're right!! Katniss WAS vaguely referenced to be native. The location of D12, Appalachia, the descriptions of her body and skin and hair, and traditions How the stylists complained about Katniss's body hair and how Katniss felt exposed when it all got waxed off, and many native people tend to have thicker hair (head and body) and all that. I think Suzanne put all those details, sure seperate, but still all part of Katniss, for the readers to identify that themselves. For some reason, she wasn't able to/didn't specify, but using the context clues of the olive skin, straight black hair kept in braids, traditions of stories told through song, being from the Appalachian mountains (Katniss specifically mentions "Appalachia" in the book), it's very clear that she was implied to be of Native descent/mixed white and Native.

@@icharxel6615 Right?!? Im sad I didn't even catch it until it was pointed out to me. Also with Lucy Gray and the Covey being nomadic. She's definitely coded to be Native

Katniss being native/mix, her living on a reservation... holy fuck. She a deadly auntie, I just wish Madge was giving screen time. Because they had more connections. Also the last kiss killed me after chapter two in book one

"When's the last time you saw a native american family at red lobster?" Chris Rock, 2012

@@aff77141 The last time my family went to Red Lobster...

Timestamp?

Pietra Assumpção 23:36

The fact that she was conscious and self aware was staggering. And like you said, heartbreaking

@@sydneypierce7722 thank you! And rly, how her faces closes when she says that! So terrible

@@thetriplethreat3 people underestimate children so much, and the fact that they are very aware is part of why inequities in our society are so harmful and ppl gotta fight

And blonde,the ultimate innocence 😌

No, no one said that. Youre inventing arguments to rebuke.

@@Katya_Lastochka did you even watch the video? someone literally said ‘awkward moment when Rue is some black girl and not the little blonde innocent girl you picture’.

@@Katya_Lastochkaokay white woman. get out pls we’re tired of you and your bs

ikr...what part of having a character casted the same as the book described screams "political correctness"? A simple search through said book if you're confused about the casting would've cleared up everything. But clearly some people are just too narrow-minded and cannot fathom anyone other than white people to be seen on the screen. Then they proceed to attack people who try to reason with them.

"If you're not the default by being white, your existence is inherently political and different, and being included in media is a political statement that I will take as ammo against me personally" -some clown

Woke was originally coined by Black people to bring awareness to Black prejudice and has now been usurped by conservatives to cry about when a gay or trans character or person of color exists on screen for more than two seconds.

What's one of your books I would like to read one?

That's scary...

What the hell 💀💀 idk if this is funny or scary that people be changing the races of characters they read about like is it on purpose or accident even 😩

They just lack reading comprehension, most people can figure out the character is black tho 👍

Ignorance is bliss they say

Text: "The black girl blacked out of bed, her black skin blacking blackily, and blacked blackwards." White readers: "Huh, this is an interesting metaphor. Anyway this character is white."

Wouldn't people imagine the characters looking like their own race?

@@jgr_lilli_ um... Thats rude... Not all white people do that and two anyone can miss imagine a character that matches their race.

@@SofiaBerruxSubs i read characters according to the race they were written

@@jgr_lilli_ 😂😂😂

They literally can’t even wrap their minds around how someone else can identify with a person of color. And yet they claim they’re not racist.

It's because they have never felt empathy towards POC.

Or her age... Everybody seems to forget that Prim and Rue were about the same age

Also you can have some similar features, like height, build, or having similar face shapes etc. while being different races, and personality is definitely a big factor. Also they were both quiet, cute little girls. Why wouldn't Rue remind her of Prim?

They sound like they never had siblings yo 🙄

Ariel is still white as described in the book and in several movies/series and previous adaptations. It's not the same thing. And btw character design is part of the character wether it moves the story or not🤦🏾‍♀️ Edit: y'all can stop tagging me now I get it, yt to blk good, blk to yt bad. Y'all mad that ppl don't want an already established character to have a useless race swap cause "iT dOeSnT aFfEcT tHe pLoT" yet get mad when dark characters are made lighter. Leave me alone I'm no longer talking with any of you snowflakes and hypocrites✌🏾

@sewerrat7418 she's just played by a black actress in the live action so not really🤷🏾‍♀️

White's are racist, enjoy being racist and know they are racist. White's are not confused about white racism. Non white's are the one confused

Personally my gripe with the new Disney adaptations is that they're not doing a good job with adapting anything at all. All of these films are subpar compared to their animated counterparts (and I'm not blaming it on the actors, CG artists or even the writers, not one bit), so they're not doing any favors to the cast involved with these projects. They're not doing good representation either: where's the actual effort put into representing Caribbean culture in this film supposedly set in the Caribbean? Where's the afro-caribbean voices in this? Am I, or anyone else for that matter, supposed to be content with Disney producing the most bland, superficial and monolithic take of my (or anyone's) culture and people, and call it a day? It's not that I dislike a black actress in the little mermaid role, is that I know the biggest production company in the world can do better, and still they make terrible, inflammatory decisions and let the actors take the brunt of it. I don't think I've seen a single press conference from any Disney exec defending Halle Bailey from the racist mobs, they're hanging their actors to dry for quick cash and mediocre films and they're getting away with it. No, casting a black actress on the role of a traditionally white character shouldn't be a problem unless we're talking about a biopic, adaptations should allow for that much. But race-swapping on its own shouldn't count as representation either: diversity goes beyond just skin color, representation goes deeper than that. GOOD representation IS deeper than that. These actors deserve better stories, better productions, and better public. We should start demanding these things much more vocally. PD: if I sounded angry in all of this, it was not my intention! english is not my first language. I'm 100% vitriolic towards Disney as a corporation though.

exactly

I honestly find it a little weird that Nikki herself is a white blonde girl with the writer being black 😭 like damn you’re not even going to represent your already underrepresented ppl AND u say the character is similar to and pretty much based off your black daughrr

@@tonystonem9614 Nikki doesn't have blonde hair, but yeah, it sucks that the protagonist who is based on the author's daughter, who are both black, is usually portrayed as white in official stuff.

no frr when i read the book when I was like in 2nd grade, I also thought that chloe & zoey were white. but when I reread the book in 4th grade (when i had more reading comprehension), I realized that chloe was latina & zoey was black and i was completely shocked at how i just skipped over that before. you can also tell by their names chloe garcia, and zoeysha ebony franklin.

I mean I couldn't tell either TBH

Holy shit. I still have a book where I colored Zoey and Chloe white 😭

Honestly! I loved the hunger games and I’ll continue to, i always seen rue as katniss other sister.

I feel like one of the points of that whole arc was that Katniss was sympathetic to someone so different to her yet so similar to her

But remember, the people who thought that probably actually behave this way

They didn't need them to look alike, they needed her to be white, because like one of them flat out said, "I'm not gonna feel bad when she dies now that I know she's black." The whole reason Hollywood hesitates to put minorities in lead roles is they fear that white audiences won't be able to empathize with people of color.

True! I always imagined Rue's resemblance with Prim, like they have similar attitude and posture. If I'm not wrong, there was a description of how both looked 'fragile' and 'delicate'. Honestly, I think the cast of Hunger Games the best so far❤

Gold 👌

@Average Commenter for real. Like sure, you could argue that Star Wars had "forced diversity," but did it really matter? I honestly didn't like any of the new trilogy, but I _did_ like Tran's Rose... at least up until that stupid crash. My distaste for the movies had zero to do with Finn being black, Rei being a woman, or Rose being asian... and I don't think that's really why Tran got such awful treatment. I think there were just racist gatekeepers who kept throwing in the diversity angle in efforts to explain why the movies were bad as a shitty dogwhistle.

@@shithoagie honestly i don't see how you can argue star wars had forced diversity

@@hinasakukimi that's part of exactly WHY you can argue it did. Nobody knows. That's why it shouldn't have mattered. But that's how freaks were able to weaponize it... simply stating something in an authoritative tone.

There are some trees that have pink or white bark though, just saying.. (I'm sorry 😳 I know comments like this are why I don't have any friends and nobody talks to me at parties..)

In this case the comment literally said #ihatemyself. I don't think they're standing by their racist biases, unlike the head of the KKK

And she did have similar maneurisms as Prim! One thing i loved about the books was that there was racism, but drawn among other lines than we do now, showing the emptiness of it all...

Her death scene was one of the most impactful I’ve ever seen (although I could be biased because of nostalgia) and it was definitely the best in the movies

I hate how so many people were mad that they hired a dark skinned girl for Annie. She is just a little girl and I was so mad

@@sampepper7682 also you name threw me off lmao

@@sampepper7682 I swear I’m not trying to plug my own shit, but the last video I made was about why I disagree with the choice to cast her as Annie.

@@TayePurks Oh cool. I'll check it out. I was just trying to say how I don't like how people disscredit her because of her skin color

@@TayePurks Lol why is my name weird? lol

Precisely, Rue and Thresh were described as having dark skin in the book, so there's no real issue to me.

Neither did i

Racism is illogical

@@rahbeeuh Bingo💯

Imagine how deeply hateful you have to be to see Amandla's cute little smile fill your screen and get genuinely angry about it 😬✌️

It kind of blows my mind that between the time where I first read the books and now, I went from being too young for the games to being too old.

It has long been known that it is difficult to cast teenagers. Especially as main characters. Labor laws dictate the amount of work they are legally allowed to do on set.

I don’t know, I’m kind of glad teenagers weren’t actually casted. Mainly because I feel that teenage actors usually aren’t as good compared to adult actors. I feel like people in their 20’s works better because they have way more experience in terms of acting and still look youngish

Teenagers and kids can’t work as much as adults. My main issue is that they ignore 18 to 21 year olds for these teenage roles.

@@supervideomaker9136there are many good child actors 2018 “It” cast really impressed when I saw that movie

I also dont recall any huge descriptors for Cinna. I could be wrong because it’s been awhile, but the focus was more on his lack of capitol look. So I think the casting was spot on for cinna, he reminded me so much of a safe place. Which is what he was for Katniss.

don’t mean to rain on your parade but how in the WORLD do you not know lenny kravitz lmao

@@chewedw1re 🤷‍♀️ never heard of him

When I read the first book, Cinna was my favorite, and I imagined him as white, but I was very happy with the movie version because I didn't care what he looked like. I was happy that they got his personality right, and I think the actor did an incredibly good job. I love Cinna in the book and in the movies, my only complaint is the fact that he had to die (I understand why but it made my cry so hard christ-) You cannot be upset about this casting choice and say that you're not racist... what is wrong with people man

I always imagined Cinna as being a tall Asian man lol

Why did I just think of that video of that chick going: “Not to be racist but Asians-“

@@theblondeone181 Where is the video?

m.ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OrzuPYau7_w.html

Happens all the time

Istg, next time someone says that in front of me I'm gonna put a finger to the lips and say "then don't speak". The words "not to be racist" are ALWAYS followed up by something racist. Apart from people making fun of people who say that kinda stuff, I've never seen it otherwise

Bruh, my sister is innocent as hell, she doesn't understand the world at all and we are a black family. Every comment that implied Rue couldn't be cute or innocent because of her race both saddened and disgusted me.

ikr

It’s not great now but it’s so much better than 20 years ago. Let’s keep improving and we need people to continue speaking up and make it a better place for little girls like your sister.

There is definitely a bias but it has a lot to do with how little girls are currently portrayed in Tv etc. They are never shown as innocent because innocent is mashed up with naive and dumb. In the opposite extreme, they are too often oversexualized; They are shown instead as 'sassy' like a 40 y.o. divorcee with a cigarette dangling off the lip, as she twerks trying to look younger. Somehow the little girls all have the "attitude", backtalking but they get away with it because it is funny. It is a disservice because even shows that are well received are at a loss how to portray this aspect of youth. It is no longer the 1950's so there cannot be a 'Leave it to Beaver' perfect ideal nuclear family because they would be laughable. And while boys can occasionally perform hair-raising stunts, girls are still seen as being "young ladies" with perfect hair ribbons and a matching handbag, again as if she were a much older version of herself. When they figure out that girls are just female kids, there will be a lot more roles for skateboarders and kite flying runners and small girls with sweet faces.

I'm 35 so I was an adult that did not read the book when it came out, but when the uproar happened I did my research and read alot of that live on Twitter and website comment sections. It was waaaaaay more widespread and casual then this video can give creedance too. There were other adults my age talking reckless like that.

"And most hauntingly, a twelve-year-old girl from District 11. She has dark brown skin and eyes, but other than that, she's very like Prim in size and demeanor." Racists just decided to gloss over that part...

Also, If their small brains couldn't comprehend the words on the paper, district 11 is a predominately BLACk district.

@@francesatty7022 yeah, even reading the book in middle school I never thought Rue was white lmao, tbh the movie casted them just the way I imagined and as was described, so these people just be lacking comprehension skills.

I genuinely don’t get what the deal is with those people …no ones lives are worth less than anyone else, period. and Rue is an amazing character and I cried so hard when she died. No one should care what race she is (and its black)

@@thelegitpotato1248 why would you prefer your own race over another?

I think that having a black actor ended up being more poignant as it was a subtle way to recognize real life shit like redlining and monoracial neighborhoods. Not to mention that it hit me harder that it didn't matter at all to Katniss that Rue didn't look like her sister. They were the same age and had a similar resilient personality that created their bond. I think if Rue hadn't tragically been killed, Katniss would have found a way to have 3 victors in the final standoff. Love is love. Yes, there's nuance, but she loved that little girl

I had not read the books and I was incredibly impressed with the movie casting because the actress was so damn great she made Rue feel like the sweetest angel descended upon this earth and even I wanted to bloody adopt her. Katniss seeing her sister in her made 100% sense to me, and her death hit me way harder than I thought possible - the actress was that damn great. It was deeply disturbing to find out that what some others saw when they watched the movie wasn't an incredibly sweet child, but some "subhuman". How disturbingly monstrous of them.

@@Call-me-Al agreed. The character is 12. Amandla was 12. How do you see a little girl and think that she’s deserving of harm? Especially over the colour of her skin. I will never understand that.

because they don't see black people as people it's horrible:( i watched these movies as a kid whiLe i read the books and i never questioned Rue being black at ALL i was just sad such a young vulnerable child involved in the story to begin with... and it was awful to see her die rues death is always the hardest to watch

@@Call-me-Al yes! Rue's actress was beautiful and talented. My only criticism is that the flower/improvised funeral scene wasn't like I pictured it in the book. I imagined armfuls of flowers because the book spent so much time talking about how much time/energy Katniss wasted collecting so much because of her intense grief and the way she hyperfocuses on things. But the movie's depiction was probably more realistic than my head cannon 🤷

I mean, you are watching a video called "The Day Rue 'Became' Black." So, I would hazard a guess that you care a lot about this subject too.

Right? For the people who complain about 'everything being about race' they sure like to make everything about race.

@@romeyjondorf you mean I care a lot about people not being Racist ? If that’s what you mean then Y E S sir 😂👍🙌lol

@@benelz8542 You are racist if you want to turn a popular white character black. You are racist to black AND white people if you want to do that. Racist to white people because you are saying that the white character is somehow not okay staying as they are simply because they are white, plus it's cultural appropriation. And racist to black people because you are saying that black people have no popular folk heroes or historical figures or characters or anyone who is actually black so that you have to change a white character's race to black. What is that saying about black people? That they have no culture? You racist!

@@romeyjondorf playing a white character is not inherently culture appropriation. Unless its a movie like Brave that are about Scottish people in the 1500s- its fine. We aren't saying white characters are not okay, we are saying that most of the time that any race of people can play y'alls characters due to the stories not being about their race or culture. Everything you said about black people and our culture is just a straight up strawman argument.

That person and everyone like them are plain ol racist

Book: "rue has dark skin" Racist comments: WHY ISNT SHE WHITE

I think a lot of it comes from “she reminded me of my sister” her sister was blonde and white so Rue should be too. Instead of just the fact that they were the same age and had similar mannerisms and attitudes. Apparently in the minds of these people, you have to look exactly like someone to give the same impression as them.

@@cocktailonion696 yeah i understand WHY they thought this way. Which is exactly the problem. They have a mentality that people have to LOOK the same to relate to them. Which is rooted in racism.

@@cocktailonion696 then they skipped over the part that described her skin tone lol

Though to be fair, I'm willing to guess that race does affect those people's personalities. They'd probably be less racist if they weren't white.

@@timothymclean yeah, definitely, I think having to deal with racist comments has to affect you, but it's different for everyone so it doesn't make sense to think you know someones race based on what they say

the only way it could ever affect your personality is the culture and experinces (racist experiences from white people) that came with it

well actually your ethnicity does of course influence your personality in a small way.

@@timothymclean haha, "less racist if they weren't white". jeez, travel a bit. google it. the most racist nations are not what you have been led by your nose ring to believe.

Exactly, and I always get upset seeing how more black people are getting the spotlight in shows because its not for representation or just because they're a good actor(although they do give us representation and most of them are good actors), but because they are trying to get brownie points, and make a political statement to prove they aren't racist and that we are equal(basically because of all the attention towards BLM.)

PRECISELY. also, let me screenshot and show this to my friend who genuinely thinks that about POC in media and tends to violently criticize any movie or series with black/brown main or supporting characters, even though black/brown people... You know... EXIST.

Yes 👏 we 👏 can👏.

Tell that to the crazy sjws 😂

They started doing that with women to lately I’m so sick of this shit

Oh yeah that’s true. Why do they make adaptations anyway? Wasn’t the Japanese version good enough? Like they could’ve just added English subtitles or added a dubbing. All they did and the movie still wasn’t good lmao.

@@mrithikasivakumar I don't think it was. I think people should just leave the manga and the anime (which was faithful and pleasing to the fans, I think?) alone. I do appreciate the Americans trying something original with the story by only using the skeleton of the story. But they could've done a lot better...

L was mixed but yeah, doesn't make any sense at all

Because people rarely complain about movies being whitewashed but any other race, especially black people replacing a non black character is always an issue.

Ironically I only heard backlash about Lights name change to "Turner" because it was stupid and erasing the fact that Light is supposed to be Japanese.

Do you wish they had?

tbf i think they do it with every race but ye representing black female characters as always lightskinned people sets a bad example, especially for children.

@@letiziavottero262 "they do it with every race" yea that's also bad and kinda highlights the point even more.

When someone pointed this out to me I couldn’t stop noticing it!! You see it all the time. Some colourist trope that associates beauty with lighter skin

@@shay1812 exactly. I'm sorry if i didnt explain my point correctly, but what i meant is that we need to have more dark skin representation, since for example, i've seen a lot of dark skinned people saying that their skin is ugly or not good since its so dark, when in reality skin color shouldn't matter in our selfevaluation. What i was saying with 'they do it with every race' was that in animated media male characters, no matter what race they are, tend to be slightly darker than their female counterpart.

@@6_blocks_under as i answered someone else just now, i didn't mean to say that we should center lightness as perfection, what i meant to say was that in animated media and drawings, there's this idea that a male character is always slightly darker than their female counterpart no matter the race, but im not saying that that is correct, in fact i think there should be wayyyy more representation of every type of person, not just the ' idolized' version of whatever category of people.

ik right

I'm so proud of her honestly

Why didn't he say like " did you watch Annie when you were little" like not in that way why he word it like that

She replied so well to his shitty question. Yes! She clearly was a little girl still there, how could he not see that?!

Unpopular opinion but I know what the interviewer meant. I don’t really think he meant anything bad by it. I watched Annie when I was like, 6. Not when I was 12. I was a little, little girl. He worded it weirdly, that’s for sure.

Like in the Nice White Teachers, Bad Brown Schools video, the Black characters are shown to be nonsensically beligerante. People think racism has to be intentional but I'd say what makes white writers comfortable will be the same thing that makes white audiences comfortable. If that's what you get with 'liberal Hollywood' writers... oof, that's context I guess

White racist are writing them, what you think will happen

It was refreshing in the recent House of Usher miniseries to show that the only innocent member of the Usher family was the black girl Lenore. You never see that

It wasn’t just about desirability, though that plays a role too. It was playing the metaphorical “Princess in the tower” whose rescue forms the crux of the plot. While the “damsel in distress” role gets criticized for reducing a woman to an object or prize, this is mainly through a white lens. For black women, it means getting to be vulnerable and let someone else take care of them, something that is often denied to them. Add in the unfortunate fact that missing black girls and black women in trouble get far less attention than their white counterparts and it’s easy to see why they’d see value in a role where they’re not only desired, but have someone go through hell and back to protect.

@animeotaku307 very good additional points thanks

The damsel in distress is just something that's been appropriated by pop feminism and demonised, ignoring the historical context. A damsel being kidnapped or imperilled was to show how evil the villain was because she was a complete innocent who couldn't have had anything to do with whatever conflict, and rescuing her was to show her as someone of great importance. She wasn't rescued because she was useful or had something the hero wanted - she deserved to be rescued because it was the right thing to do, and the innocent should be protected. Realistically, it's impossible for someone to be able to save themselves all the time. Complete independence and needing no one at all is a sign of emotional IMMATURITY because we humans are built to need people. One of the biggest problems in the world right now is human trafficking, and the people are kept in line by being conditioned to think they're there of their own free will, and part of saving a victim is getting them to accept help Kerry Washington hit the nail on the head that there is something very empowering in a story that's driven by the need or want to save a black woman's life, and that encourages the black man to do something chivalrous for the black woman, since African-Americans didn't get to have that fairy tale. A damsel in distress story doesn't reduce a woman to a prize or object - it tells the reader/viewer that the damsel is someone of great importance simply for who she is as a person, rather than being a head of state, having knowledge or skills etc. There's nothing wrong with that trope, only if it's overused

I'm sorry but i have to tel you that they in fact, cast Cinna to play Lenny Kravitz. You've been bamboozled.

Re: Lenny Kravitz...right?

You’re right and you should say it

I also want to mention this: His daughter, Zoë Kravitz, had auditooned for a film series (which is Divergent). At the same time, the main lead of the series, Shailene Woodley, had once auditioned for Hunger Games as Katniss.

literally, i wasn't that attached to Cinna in the books but he plays him so well in the films he turned into one of my favourite characters as soon as I watched them.

Same and I cried just as hard In the Cinema when she died

I sobbed so hard when Rue died in the movie. I never even knew this was an issue; I was younger and wasn't on the internet at the time. It's surreal knowing this kind of shit even happens because I didn't know it was a thing till now. My god

@@leoninenoble that's my response, too.

White dude here. When I was in the service this film came out. By this point in my career I had already been to Afghanistan, and read one of the books down range. The first I think. It was 2007 and I was at Bagram, so yeah. When I got to Minot AFB in 2008 I was placed in a dispatcher position. One day we got a brand new troop, and I thought of Rue. She was a tiny thing, looked like just may have had to put on some weight just to get to basic, and here she was in the Nuclear Security Zone. I drank alot that night. The next day at work I asked her if she ever read the book. She had. I hoped she makes it at the time, and if my math is correct she should be a Tech Sgt by now. I worry about my white brothers and sisters who have never actually known or worked with people of color.

@@JohnBoulden what a wholesome comment💖 Thank you for sharing your story! :D

I’m Indigenous and I remember talking to a family member about the Rue controversy. My sister said she thought Katniss was indigenous too based on her description in the book. We both read the book and thought Rue and Thresh were black. I think she was perfectly cast.

Time stamp? That’s awful

@@cherrytries2922 im not sure. i dont wanna rewatch the video, but it was when she was being interviewed and he asked a question like: "when you were a little girl.."

@@cherrytries2922 23:35

damn she young

That’s disturbing

Does this result mainly from unconscious bias, or more intentional ignorance?

@Dru Baxter wow, congrats

@Dru Baxter sounds like something a casual racist would feel the need to correct. must’ve struck a nerve lol

@Dru Baxter hnnnnng no

@Dru Baxter Listen, the fact that it was white readers that responded like this, white readers that had a problem with it, speaks volumes. The fact you're choosing to interpret this comment as racist, especially considering the topic of the video also speaks volumes.

I was like 10 but STILL bawled my eyes out.

That scene still makes me cry like a decade later

@@beastofbussycreek Reading her death had me crying but the movie seem like they gave her such little time because it's a movie.

I bawled my eyes out when they sent her the bread. It was a such small but meaningful gesture, that probably cost them a lot of money they didnt have.

Rue and prim and finnick all tie for me. They’re all horrifying.

Yeah exactly that’s just a self report on their part

whenever someone says "im not racist but...." we know whats coming next

@@lavellelee5734 its always racist

They still looked cute and innocent in The Hate U Give, where they were a grownup. They have an air of delicacy to themself that is rare in current teen actresses.

@@miticaBEP07 But they replaced a girl who was supposed to be dark skin with a light skin girl

This is actually a really great point that deserves more attention.

@NateIsNotOkay I'm surprised more people didn't come to that conclusion. Seemed like it was common knowledge to me.

Great analysis. I only have one genuine question: why did you use that weird "i" in the word "white?"

@temporaneo617 skirt the algorithm. For some reason if it picks up those words in that order, it doesn't like it and the post gets suppressed.

@@TheydyGodiva wow that's awful

I agree

Fr, my favorite Disney princess is Mulan, I'm many different ethnicities but not asian

I think it’s funny that POC have have to relate to white characters they’re whole life, but one black character it’s too much to handle for some of white people.

@@artvulture456 Mulan's my favorite Disney character and movie, too. (I'm not Asian either.)

people that complained about the casting proved time and time again that they had absolutely no reading comprehension

as if JD werent an old guy too😂

Right! And he turned out absolutely perfect imo.

@@marianaortiz5489 exactly, they're about the same age 😂

Haymitch's games were the second quarter quell (50th hunger games) he was around age as Katniss's mom and people are mad. He around 39- 42 years old in the first book.

Honestly shit like that just makes me sad

I never noticed it......before.

And it's not even like she was trying to be sassy. She was just giving a straightforward answer and put him in his place without even intending to. I didn't like the new Annie. Too much autotune, not that I liked the original that much either. But Quvenzhene is adorable and a half.

It's so sad watching her not even noticing it at first and then being like hold up

It's so dumb honestly like- did you guys read the damn books

im clicking on this video like wasnt she described as black in the books? tbh its 10 years since I read them

@@StephenFrysmanboobs she was people are just so racist that anyone who isnt white cant be seen as a child. Now that's fucking creepy

@@lesbiangoddess290 Because they don’t picture the character as Black.

@@keepyourshoesathedoor but why? That's the real question here. The video explained the link people unintentionally make between white skin and innocence. It's the brainwashing from the media that promoted eugenics and erased anyone who was darker than a paper bag. Did you not watch the video or what?

yeah i remember first reading that comment when it went viral back in 2012 it took me a full back to the room bc wow imagine how horribly racist you have to be to write that?

ok i haven´t watched the full video and i haven´t read the book, but when I read I remember that rue read as black. Were people not expecting her to be black? Wasn´t her whole district black people now that I think about it? i don´t understand!

not only they value fictional white people over fictional black people, racists value fictional white characters, or more stupidly, their perception of a character's whiteness over real black people, over a real little girl

*666 likes*

@@lunalu2174 So in the book, Rue is very briefly described as being black. Not a huge paragraph or anything, but it's established. Maybe some people missed it, that happens, fine. And maybe some were willfully ignorant or got caught up and forgot... We can have a whole other discussion of white-washing characters in ones head while reading, but in the end the real crime was the vitriol that went to the studio, the actress and everyone else... For a canonically black character being played by a black actress. Sigh.

Lmfao who does that person think she's so closely related to?

My hubby and I just recently rewatched the series and a lot of scenes were shot in NC and the first thing I asked when watching The Reaping when the whole town comes out was, "isn't this America? Where are all the black people?" It was so weird to me, having come from the south to see so many white people in what is supposed to be southern America. So yeah, I agree that tweet was weird.

@@samanthasexton7926 district 11 had a lot more black people, maybe they separated them based off that when Panem was created. who knows.

Like how would it be genetically impossible??? That makes no since... Hunger Games is literally based in a future America. America. The place with literally everyone from everywhere. Plus, the author wrote her as black, and it's a made up future. Anything the author writes is what is possible for the made up universe. People will come up with anything. Although, the tweet at 8:13 pissed me off even more. Literally, that tweet is disgusting

@@Styxintheriver I think the book implies that systematic racism still exists in Panem. District 11 has the most black people and is treated the most harshly by the Capitol.

OMG HAHAHAHA

I'd argue it's worse, you can absolutely relate to the 2,000 year old immortal, you can absolutely relate to the character despite their different skin colour. I mean, unless you view them as fundamentally lesser or alien... But yeah genuinely baffling to me how dark skin could possibly translate to a character that could not conceivably be black is beyond me.

Frrrr. She was literally described with dark skin. “The boy tribute from District 11, Thresh, has the same dark skin as Rue”

Even my 10 year old caught that. Back then I read a lot of pages and forgot tiny details but I still knew that tho

Lol, great response.

Bruh they literally said shes from a district where dark skin is a common trait >:((((

@@nevereverr tbh I didn't I catch that either. But I wasn't upset by any of the casting choices because to me it didn't matter. As long as they played their character well, that's all I cared about.

What gets me is that this person clearly realizes what they are saying is horrible... And they still go out there and say it?! M'dude, if you happen to feel that way, just shut up and be ashamed of yourself! What do you think is going to happen?! The only people you get any possitive response fron are going to be racists, which... If that's who you're adessing your tweet to, why all that song and dance about feeling bad about it?!

@@tereziamarkova2822 The whole thing was a big mask-off moment. A lot white racists exposed themselves. But worst for me was that it was all young people. Being very loudly unbashed in their hatred for black people. Usually I'd be unsuprised if it came from older boomer types (not that they're excused in their racism either) but this whole mess from a generation of youth all probably younger than 25 at the time? Yeah that doesn't bode well.

if that’s the goal they chose the wrong actress

If someone isn’t horribly racist race doesn’t matter in the tragedy of a character’s death, the writing does. 🤦‍♀️ I hate people

I wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't very intentional. Especially when being racist to "troll snowflakes" was very popular back then. I think the most common thing of that nature we have now is the phrase "Hitler did nothing wrong." Very few people actually believe it, or even care if it's right or not, they just enjoy being assholes.

I read the book two years ago without ever watching the movies and I remember the image I had of Rue (a black girl, just as described by the author). I still have not watched the movies so this is the first time I see the character. I cannot believe there are people like this out there.

I honestly thought it was an invented name for the novels. I learn something new every day.

Rue as a name has multiple origins so it's common for both whites and blacks in the south.

Rue McClanahan from the Golden Girls.

@@princeapoopoo5787 it's a plant. It can be used for medicinal purposes or also decorative since it has pretty tiny yellow flowers

It works

@@tiffprendergast it does work on all skin tones, but it does pop more on darker skin.

Also i don't think silver eyeliner works on anyone but lenny kravitz lol

@@Erin-ho8qu lool

I can't in all fairness remember what I imagined Cinna to look like when I read the book before the movie came out, but I do remember thinking his casting was perfect. Cinna is cool and stylish and Lenny Kravitz fits that description perfectly. When I imagined Rue, I imagined her to look like my childhood best friend, and again thought the casting was spot-on (at the time I wasn't aware of colourism being a thing). I was shocked when all these people came out of the woodwork complaining that Rue wasn't white and I was just thinking, "But where did that come from? She's described as having dark skin!"

Me, being in a country where everyone is mixed, that sometimes a parent is blonde, and the child black, but they look exactly the same, except for the skin tone. 👁👄👁 Seriously, I never knew about this controversy, and I've read the book and watched the movie, and actually found cute the connection between Katniss and Rue, I even cried when Rue died.

It's kinda like when you have a child, suddenly every child you see reminds you of yours. At least that's what my mom said. She can't stand watching children get hurt in any way in movies and stuff.

@@MissCaraMint Kinda, but there are some children that look more similar regardless of their color skin or hairtype. I mean, as someone who draws, I tend to see people look more alike when they have similar face complexions.

@@MissCaraMint I’m the exact same way, except towards the little brother who I raised. He brought out the motherly instinct in me I never knew I had, and seeing children get hurt in any form makes me nauseous

@@rominaforcadell8848 what country is that?

It's extra sad because assuming black girls are "less innocent", it's because something happened to them that wasn't their choice. Now they are being punished for it.

@@sleep_is_awesome2838 It's called adultification and black girls/ other nb pocs are expected to grow up and be more mature much quicker

@@kerri6011 Yes and it's sad because it either reflects real life, or bleeds into it. I mean I'm not being cutting edge in thinking all children deserve to enjoy childhood right?

Wtf. I- that’s disgusting. I cannot believe someone would say that let alone THINK that

This is exactly what i was thinking, you worded it perfectly.

Scythe was one of my favorite books as well as Arc of a Scythe in general, and I’ll be real, it’s been long enough since I read the first 2 that I totally forgot that detail! Thanks for letting me know, maybe it’s time for a re-read!

i agrée- im not black but the fact that people feel this way about someone’s race! it’s disgusting, i wish the best for you

@@auds.loves.hyuka. Thank you. I'm mixed and have light skin so I know that I'm never going to get the worst of it but seeing those hateful comments about a girl that looked like me really really hurt--especially when you know that it would be way worse if they were dark skinned.

Sorry for this. I babysitt some girls from Ghana. Least summer I saw LaChanda Gatson with the Creative Soul Photography at youtube and they adore it. 😍

@@mashaylaamos5301 - Just here to say blatant and rampant racism is abysmal to deal with, so in the wake of everything, always make sure you love you. Don't let anyone or anything make you feel lesser, because you're just as smart, pretty, 3 dimensional, worthy and capable. Dang. Seeing comments like this hurts. People can be straight up disgusting. No matter who or what you come across, remember that sh*t is a reflection of them, not you. I just want to impart the importance of never letting these things lessen the way you see yourself. So in case anyone needs to hear this, always keep yourself in high regard. Racism can be an echo chamber for the world at large, but for you as an individual too, and it effects people in big and subtle ways. Be mindful of what your absorbing, what sentiments you repeat to yourself, and make sure you are feeding yourself the positive energy you know you deserve, and detoxing from all the stupid, f*cked up bull people will hurl your way.

@@mariesummers. Thank you so so much. I honestly try not to let these things seep into my skin but it can truly be difficult at times. I truly appreciate your kind words and sympathy.

Yeah it was probably to emphasize how painful her death was since she was around the same age as Prim which shows she was so young

You're right but also I know that from watching the entire video, just saying.

LITCHERALLY THOUGH. Im confused. She's always been black. The fans who were confused or "insulted" when she "became" black just can't read

EXACTLY omg these people are so dumb

Because most people don't. Just a few on Twitter or somewhere else. The video is about that bubble.😉

Ur lucky, it was awful see all the shit that as posted when people saw who was casted as Rue.

That's part of the problem. If you're white, you don't see these issues bcs you're never the target of racism

@@strenghsGirl its not a bubble though

Not the point but ok

Unbelievable. I can not fathom how these people think. Rue's death in the movie absolutely gutted me. I tried so hard not to ugly cry in public when I saw it in the theater, but I couldn't even help it. Cried my face off 😭

@@ilikeyoutube836 There were people all over the internet saying they just didn't "feel" her death in the movie BECAUSE SHE WAS BLACK. I don't ever want to know these people.

I hate this world

Wow...😟 serious social problem.

People generally empathize more with white people, even actual black people (learned this in psych) because of how we’re all conditioned to think.

That part made me sad. Like, yeah, buddy - she's still a little girl.

Timestamp?

@@adoragrayskull 23:34

Sad, but good for her for 1.) being so self-possessed 2.) not take any nonsense from an older (male) interviewer.

@UC6sZauq5pNhelqc7DGmJv-g idk I think a 4 yr old not thinking of herself as a little girl is different than a 40 yr old man not seeing an 11 yr old as a little girl. Also no I lived in ny when I was little, white plains and brooklyn, there’s no regional aspect. She’d still be considered little before 13.

What does 4c hair mean?

@@ivankervis4374 really tight kinky/coily hair, as opposed to distinct curls like Amandla has. If you search 4c hair on Google you can see a lot of pics

@@amoureux6502 gotcha

Does it fucking matter she’s still black it doesn’t matter if she’s completely black or not what matters is that she’s black and she played her character rue well hell she was still black so this comment makes no sense at all

@@EDK-San51912 amandla is biracial not black.

The sad thing is, many of them probably were and just chose to ignore it and build up an image that they liked more, because how on earth could you be brown skinned AND sweet, innocent, and worthy of life?

See, that's what's hilarious! They were so upset that their favorite story was being "ruined", but didn't even know the details of what they read? 🤣

@@mariesummers. I do that, not with skin color but when I have a character with brown hair I may imagine them as blonde. But why the heck do I have the authority to get mad? I didn’t make the character.

And even then, Rue in the movie is nowhere near Thresh’s skin color (which the book explicitly states). She’s portrayed by a HIGH yellow actor. Like black people should’ve been reasonably upset with the casting (because _colorism_ ) not these shit for brains racists🥴

Yea really egregious, it's not even "brown skin" It's described multiple ways, as dark, satiny brown, dark eyes, her dog mutant is described as having curly fur. Between that and where it takes place and how District 11 is described, it's almost like the author was daring the controversy. 🤣

Rue is not even dark brown. She’s really light by black community standards. It could be argued that casting a mixed race actor is still somewhat a concession. But nonetheless, I can’t believe she got that much hate. I’m with you, if they cast a dark girl, they would have rioted for real

@@FoxyChariot I'm full black, and I think Amandla is light brown, not really light-skinned. I guess I don't see it because I have a very light sister who would be considered "yellow" (she looks quite a bit like the singer Mya).

@@UsulPrincess I’m Amandla’s color and I’d say she’s as light as you can be without getting into white passing territory Mya and Amandla are close to the same shade IMO. In some shots she’s Amandla’s color and in others she has a more yellowish tone

@@UsulPrincess Amandla is light skin, she's close to Mya's color. Mya and her just have different undertones. Light skin is wider spectrum than cool undertones

Plenty of people get treated badly because of twitter pests. That does not mean that she was treated badly by everyone. You get twitter pests threatening to kill/rape writers like JK Rowling because they had an opinion that the peasants of Twitter disliked. It was shitty for people to attack a child like they to to one who played Joffrey. This only blew up because racism is mentioned as the reason. People in the limelight get stalked, threatened to be killed or raped for opinions or simply existing yet you do not always hear anything of it. There is also the issue of criticism being considered abuse. There is a big distance between it. I been in loads of discussions yet someone will claim racism because someone disliked a character. Look at any group of Invincible. People get called Nazi for criticising Amber's behaviour.

I always thought Cato in the film resembled how I imagined Peeta in the book. Josh still stuck out though, but if he was a little taller and more stocky (and also a natural blonde) it wouldve fit more

It caused me physical pain to read it.

Some people should watch A Time to Kill and adress their predjudice

@IntrepidFinch wtf we all had the same experience!!

Really? Cuz it was the one calling her a nigger that made me sick. Mind you. She was only 12

Seriously. What an asshole